1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to room monitors and record/playback devices, and more particularly to a baby bottle attachment having a cylindrical housing containing electronic circuitry that attaches to a baby bottle and functions as a room monitor for monitoring the sounds of an infant, as an educational device that plays custom-recorded and pre-recorded educational messages and sounds, and as an amusement device that plays various sounds to educate and amuse the infant.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There is compelling evidence of new scientific studies of infants in the August 1997 edition of the Journal of Science. Studies done at the University of Kansas, University of Anchorage and State University of New York at Buffalo confirmed that a newborn baby's sense of hearing plays an extremely important role in his or her cultural and educational development. Babies listening skills become more sophisticated over time and at just four months old, babies will start to recognize words and absorb and start to relate to the spoken words that previously were not thought possible.
The professors observed forty-two babies of various economic backgrounds from seven to twelve months old until they turned three years of age. At the age of about three years old the child discards the use of a baby bottle. Spending one hour per month recording their interaction with people, the researchers determined that the average number of words directed at each child per hour (with spoken words from strangers as well as parents). The researcher then compared those numbers with how well each child performed on intelligence tests at age three and at age nine.
"The relationship between the number of words spoken to the children when they were babies and their later test scores was remarkable", said Betty Hart, Ph.D., professor emeritus of human development at the University of Kansas at Lawrence. "Those testing at the highest levels had been exposed to more than three times the amount of spoken language than had the youngsters who scored the lowest--2,100 words versus 600 words per hour." As they grew older, the children whose parents talked to them the most continued to have a significant advantage over their peers. "Since children are constantly building upon their prior experience," said Hart, "attempting to catch up is almost like running after a speeding train."
There are several patents that disclose various room monitor devices and recording and playback devices that are used for infants and small children, none of which have the combination of utilitarian features of the present invention working together as a whole.
Jo et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,893 discloses a memory type recording/playback device which has a cylindrical case that is received on the bottom of a baby bottle and contains an IC microchip, a microphone for recording human voice or sounds that are stored on the microchip, a speaker, battery, a record button, and a pressdown playback button that activates the playback circuit when a baby bottle is inserted into the case. The device allows the mother's voice or other sounds to be recorded and then played back. This device is inoperable until a baby bottle is inserted and is incapable of monitoring the sounds of the infant.
Eagan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,034 discloses a cup-shaped housing that connects onto the bottom of a baby bottle and contains a battery, an on-off switch and a motion-activated microswitch. A series of interchangeable wafer-like disc shaped containers each containing an IC microchip and speaker and having different musical information stored therein, can be inserted into the bottom of the housing to play a variety of different musical tunes. This device is merely an amusement device and is incapable of monitoring the sounds of an infant and of recording custom messages.
Arad et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,866 discloses a toy that simulates the appearance of a baby bottle and contains a battery, an on-off switch and a series of buttons connected to a series of IC microchip circuits each having different human sounds stored therein. The toy produces various human sounds when the buttons are depressed, such as crying, laughing, and burping. This device is merely an amusement device and is incapable of monitoring the sounds of an infant and of recording custom messages.
To, U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,060 discloses a two-piece base member comprising an upper part that connects onto the bottom of a baby bottle and a lower part that contains an IC microchip having musical information stored therein, a speaker, battery, an on-off switch and mercury switches. The device plays prerecorded music when the bottle is tilted from an upright position. This device is made in two separable parts so that the musical producing device may be connected to other articles. This device is merely an amusement device and is incapable of monitoring the sounds of an infant and of recording custom messages.
Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,093 discloses a base member that is fastened to the bottom of a baby bottle and contains an IC microchip having musical information stored therein, a speaker, battery, an on-off switch and mercury switches. The device plays prerecorded music when the bottle is tilted from an upright position. This device is merely an amusement device and is incapable of monitoring the sounds of an infant and of recording custom messages.
Room monitors for monitoring the sounds of an infant are also known in the art, however conventional monitors of this type are box-like units that are placed in the infant's room or on a dresser near the infant, and are incapable of functioning as an educational device that plays custom-recorded or pre-recorded messages or sounds to educate and amuse the infant.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a baby bottle attachment having a cylindrical housing containing electronic integrated circuitry that removably attaches to a baby bottle. The bottle attachment functions as a room monitor for monitoring the sounds of an infant, as an educational device that plays custom-recorded or pre-recorded educational messages and sounds, and as an amusement device that plays various sounds to educate and amuse the infant. A base unit containing a battery charger and an FM receiver may also be provided for holding the bottle attachment, recharging its battery, and serving as a remote receiver for monitoring sounds transmitted by the bottle attachment when in use.